- Tuesday, May 06, 2025
The protesters appealed to the Indian PM for assistance in reuniting the two-year-old girl, currently in German state services custody, with her Indian parents.
By: Shubham Ghosh
MEMBERS of the Indian diaspora in Germany on Saturday (15) gathered in Frankfurt to protest and appeal to prime minister Narendra Modi for assistance in reuniting baby Ariha Shah with her Indian parents in the European country.
The two-year-old girl is currently in German state services custody.
Despite rain, the protesters waved the Indian National Flag and held banners with messages such as “Modiji Save Ariha!” and “Ariha is Indian”.
#WATCH | The Indian community in Frankfurt, Germany assembled on 15th July to demand the repatriation of baby Ariha to India. pic.twitter.com/eZmvjgUhKZ
— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2023
Ariha’s parents, Bhavesh and Dhara Shah, have been fighting for their infant daughter since September 2021 when German authorities intervened due to allegations of harassment.
Videos and updates from the “Save Ariha” Twitter account captured the demonstration which was held in Frankfurt.
“Today, Indian community in Frankfurt, Germany held protests against the injustice happening with Indian baby Ariha in Germany,” said a tweet from the account.
The issue was raised by Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar last December during discussions with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, while the ministry of external affairs (MEA) reiterated its importance in a recent statement.
“The child is an Indian national and she was placed in the custody of Germany’s Youth Welfare Office of the (Jugendamt) on 23rd September 2021, when she was seven months old. She has now been in foster care for more than 20 months,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a statement last month.
He said the MEA has been advocating for her return to India, emphasising the importance of preserving her socio-cultural rights and maintaining her connection to her Indian heritage. The Indian embassy has also requested consular access to the child and cultural immersion at the Indian Cultural Centre in Berlin.
However, the German authorities have not complied, PTI reported. The MEA expressed disappointment after learning that Ariha was abruptly moved from her current foster parent to a specialised foster-care arrangement.
The Indian government and the girl’s parents expressed concerns about Ariha’s placement in German foster care and the infringement on her social, cultural and linguistic rights.
The MEA reiterated that Ariha Shah is an Indian national and that her nationality and socio-cultural background is the most important determinant of where her foster care is to be provided.
A Change.org petition calling for Ariha’s repatriation to India has garnered nearly 60,000 signatures. The petition highlights that Ariha, a Jain Gujarati, was born in Berlin while her father was working in Germany as a software engineer. The parents took her to the hospital where an accidental injury occurred, leading to allegations of sexual assault and the removal of the baby from their custody. Although the criminal investigation was closed without charges, Ariha has yet to be returned to her parents as Berlin Child Services initiated a civil custody case.
(With agency inputs)
